Mears Ashby Hall

Mears Ashby Hall is a country house dated 1637, built for Thomas Clenden, with likely earlier origins. It was extended in the 18th century and again in 1859 by A. Salvin for the Stockdale family. The building is constructed of lias ashlar and features a Collyweston slate roof. Originally designed in an E-plan and Jacobean style, it has two storeys with attics and a main front that consists of a seven-window range, with a five-window range to the left representing the original house.

The central three-storey porch has an arched entrance flanked by pairs of fluted Roman Doric columns, supporting an entablature and cornice. A 19th-century panelled door is present, and above the entrance is a blank arch featuring the initials T.C. The porch is topped by a Dutch gable with an attic window that has a curved head, surmounted by an open circle with an obelisk. The bays to the left and right of the porch have small gables with stepped head attic windows, while the flanking bays project forward with large gables. The windows are stone-mullioned, with three- and four-light configurations, and the gable parapets and kneelers are finished with finials at the eaves and apex. Ashlar stacks are located at the ridge.

To the right, a two-window range was added by Salvin in a similar style, featuring four- and six-light stone mullioned and transomed windows. A short square tower with a conical roof abuts the main house, with a gable that breaks forward to the right. The rainwater heads are dated 1637. The garden front to the right mirrors the main front and was also designed by Salvin, featuring a squared stone bay to the left and a gable to the right. The rear elevation includes three gables from the original house on the right and the 1859 extension with a datestone on the left, along with a single-storey range from around 1859 at the centre.

Inside, the entrance hall features fielded panelling, and there is an 18th-century staircase with a half landing and fluted balustrades. The staircase leading to the Salvin wing has large Griffin head newels, and a room at the rear has a 20th-century painted ceiling.